Effect Audio Signature Series IEM Upgrade Cables: Cadmus & Eros S Review

Effect Audio is a boutique IEM Upgrade cable brand from Singapore. Founded back in 2009, Effect Audio has always aimed to meet the requirements and needs of audiophiles and music industry professionals. Over the years, they have garnered a lot of respect and name in the community for their high-quality premium upgrade cables. Their cables have always been eye candy with a premium hand-crafted build, top-quality connectors & termination plugs. Recently, Effect Audio launched its latest Signature Series of upgrade cables which mainly featured three cables, the Ares S(Pure Copper Litz), the Cadmus(Premium UP-OCC Silver-Plated Copper Litz), and the Eros S(Pure Silver Litz and Pure Copper Litz Hybrid). Ares S over here marks your entry into the signature Series, Cadmus is their midrange from the series, and the Eros S is their flagship from the Signature series.

Signature Series from Effect Audio is their most affordable series to feature their in-house developed ConX connector feature. ConX refers to replaceable connectors(MMCX,2-pin, etc). If you want 2-pin connectors for your IEMs, you got them as stock, you want to use MMCX connectors, you can simply replace your 2-pin connectors with MMCX ones from Effect Audio anytime you want with the help of a given tool. Most of the premium upgrade cables from Effect Audio are priced at around 999$ and above, the Signature series begins at just 179$ for the Ares S and it goes as high as 300$ for the flagship Eros S.  I have got the Eros S and the Cadmus with me and I want to share about my experience with your guys!!

A Short Disclaimer Before I Begin:-

Both the Eros S and Cadmus are my own units. I bought these from Effect Audio directly from Singapore. They were kind enough to offer me a decent discount in exchange for my written review. You can check out more information about the Eros S here and the Cadmus over here. Let’s begin with their unboxing.

Unboxing The Eros S and the Cadmus:-

Both the Eros S and the Cadmus come in identical packaging. Affect Audio names and designs its products based on Greek mythology. All of their products are named after gods from Greek Mythology. So are the Eros(God of Love) and the Cadmus(First Greek Hero). The packaging of both cables has an illustrated image of the gods on the front. Inside, The cables are placed beautifully with their well-built metallic splitter displayed at the center on the first layer. Right underneath this first layer, we have other accessories such as the user guide, a carry pouch, etc.

ConX MMCX connectors come as an additional accessory for about 15$ a pair and include a connector changing tool. I bought two sets of MMCX in case I want to use both cables with MMCX IEMs. Unboxing the Eros S and Cadmus is truly impressive. The presentation is quite premium and gives good vibes.

Design & Build Quality:-

Let’s start with the flagship Eros S for design and build quality. The cable has a heavy 8-wire configuration with matte silver outer shielding. The wire cores are thick and have a hefty weight to them. The Y-splitter is a piece of art but it’s rather big for simple design liking fans. All the connectors, Y-Splitter, and termination plug has got metallic casings for a premium feel. Eros S actually feels quite premium with its build. It’s not only solid and robust but also has a very rich in-hand feel.

Cadmus on the other hand has got a 4-wire configuration. The cable has transparent outer sheathing and looks amazingly well-built. Y-Splitter and connectors are the same here as well. For both cables, I have chosen 4.4mm as my preferred termination. According to Effect Audio’s website, both these cables use Rhodium-plated brass straight termination plugs. Super impressed by the design and build quality of both cables!!

Sound Impressions With Eros S:-

Eros S is the flagship from the Signature Series by Effect Audio. Previously, before I bought the cables I tried the Eros S at a friend’s place. Eros S brings remarkable changes to the connected IEMs. It’s a perfect hybrid of Silver and copper Litz cables bringing us the richness of copper and matching it up with the energy of Silver. For all the IEMs that I have tested with both cables, I find Eros S to give a better sense of clarity, improve the staging by adding more air, and show better separation for instruments. If I have to sum it up in short words, with the Eros S, I find my IEMs to sound wider with better separation and an overall improvement in clarity. Let’s check out how it compares with my IEMs.

Thieaudio Monarch MK2 and Eros S:-

Eros S is the perfect match for Monarch MK2 as per my experience. Before purchasing the Monarch MK2, I had tried it 4 to 5 times. Every time I found something lacking on the set. The mid-bass was a bit loose on the stock cable, and the upper mids were slightly thinner than I prefer. Adding the Eros S to the Monarchs adds a better definition to the pair. Bass feels tighter and better controlled, and instrument notes and vocals have a better definition. Simply saying, Eros S made me fall in love with the Monarchs so much that I grabbed one from a friend.

Sennheiser IE600 and Eros S:-

Before buying the cables, I tried the IE600 with the Eros S. Outstanding resolution and much-improved clarity are what I felt with the Eros S and IE600 over the stock cable. The ConX MMCX fits comfortably with the IE600. Although I find the Treble on the IE600 a little too snappy for my taste with the Eros S.

Softears RSV and Eros S:-

RSV on its stock cable is quite dull and lifeless. I mean I used to like it until I tried the Eros S on the set. My oh my, the improvement was drastic. I mean, from an overly smooth treble region to a perfectly energetic and lively response, Eros S filled my RSV with life. A perfect match, I would quote.

In the end, with all the experience of over 300 hours in total with the above-mentioned IEMs, I would say Eros S is a remarkable upgrade cable. It suits well with warm, smooth-sounding IEMs and fills them with energy and life. It is not a very good choice for bright IEMs as it might make them go a little snappy, but overall you will be able to notice amazing clarity and soundstage width improvements with the Eros S by your side.

Some Things I Wish could be Improved with the Eros S(Nitpicking here):-

>Eros S is quite heavy. It’s not a con per se, but the cable is heavy and not very comfortable for long listening sessions.

>Not a good pairing with bright IEMs.

Sound Impressions with the Cadmus:-

Coming towards the mid-range performer, the amazing Cadmus. I went blind into the game with Cadmus and man the cable actually surprised me with its sound performance. With the Cadmus, the bass feels tighter, much better controlled, and gets a good slam. Midrange gets a little warmth from the lower end and showcases a better note definition. Treble on the other hand gets smoothened out, pretty good cable for a bright or neutral IEM where you need a warm, smooth touch to balance it all out.

Sennheiser IE600 and Cadmus:-

Cadmus paired perfectly with my IE600, presenting a tighter, more precise bass response. The midrange sounds richer than what I had with the stack cable with a better body for vocals. I would say the IE600 gets a little warm hint to its midrange tonality. Treble peaks are smoothened, presenting a smooth, non-fatiguing performance. I bought both the cables thinking I will use Eros S with IE600, but I personally find the IE600 to pair better with the Cadmus.

Thieaudio Monarch MK2 and Cadmus:-

Monarch gets more punch to its bass response with the Cadmus. While the instruments and vocals get better body and a cleaner definition, the soundstage gets a little immersive with the Cadmus and Monarch MK2. Sounds decent and musical, although not the character that the Monarch is capable of delivering, so not a good pairing.

Softears RSV with Cadmus:-

Cadmus adds a good punch to the RSV’s lower-end performance and also improves its mid-range clarity. It enhances the smooth, warm tone of the vocals with better clarity and richer tonality. Cadmus produces an enjoyable sound presentation with the RSV, producing an immersive soundstage.

DUNU Talos With Cadmus:-

Talos is a very good-sounding pair. I absolutely love the resolution and details of this set. Cadmus complements its signature and improves it by adding a little warmth. I personally find Talos to have more strength to the lower end with the Cadmus. Very good combination in my opinion.

Cadmus is a really capable cable that pairs well with bright IEMs. It presents a tighter, punchier lower end with improved clarity. The soundstage feels more on the immersive side with the Cadmus. It’s lightweight and easier to handle compared to the heavier Eros S.

Things I wish could be improved with the Cadmus(Nitpicking):-

>Soundstage gets a little narrow.

Final Words:-

Effect Audio Eros S and Cadmus are pretty solid performing upgrade cables for IEMs. They both are well-built and offer some top-notch performance. I have kept both of them in my collection, IEMs will come and go but both the Cadmus and Eros S will solve most of my upgrade cable requirements for the time to come. For a short while, I also got to try out the Ares S as well courtesy of a good friend. The entire signature series is designed pretty nicely. Well, that’s about the Effect Audio Eros S and Cadmus from my side. I hope you guys like my write-up and leave me a like :).